Government Kicks Off Discussions on Revising Temporary Worker Law

The government has started discussions on reforming the law (Temporary Worker Law) that protects temporary and part-time workers. To prepare foundational data for these discussions, the Ministry of Employment and Labor has commissioned the Korea Labor Institute to conduct research until June, investigating the actual utilization of temporary workers by companies and their working conditions.

President Lee Jae-myung pointed out at a meeting with Democratic Labor Party leadership on the 10th that the current Temporary Worker Law has become a 'ban on employment beyond two years,' urging the development of realistic alternatives. The two-year limit stipulated in the Temporary Worker Law, enacted in 2007, mandates the automatic conversion of temporary workers to regular status after two years of employment. However, it has been noted that the actual conversion rate to regular positions stands at only 8.6% as of the end of 2024.

The labor sector has argued that the problem lies more with on-site practices than with the Temporary Worker Law itself. Some have called for system improvements, such as limiting the scope of work for which temporary employment is allowed and curbing the abuse of non-regular workers. Others have advocated for the abolition of the Temporary Worker Law and the Dispatch Labor Act.